Higher level apprenticeships on the rise

BBC1’s The Apprentice hit our screens recently, as Lord Sugar sets out to find himself a new protégé. It seems that companies across all sectors are seeing the benefits of hiring an apprentice.

As reported in the Guardian, the government has invested around GBP1.5bn in apprenticeships in the past year. They range from GCSE level up to degree and postgraduate level.

3,700 higher level apprenticeships were available last year, representing a 67.6% rise on the year before that. In 2013, school-leavers will be able to choose from 41 subject areas for higher level apprenticeships.

New courses include a level 4 course in legal services, and a degree-level space engineering qualification and a degree-level course in management accounting, due to launch in September.